I heard giggling hopping up my walkway. Without looking out my window I could tell it was hopping because the giggling sounded more like it was laced with hiccups! I’m so used to bunnies coming to my door that I recognize the sound of a hopping, giggling, bunny! Oh Boy! Spring isn’t quite here and already we have a new bunny to the Garden. I couldn’t wait for her to reach the door. I had to look out my window and see her. Ooh!! She’s so cute!! ( All bunnies are cute in my opinion.) Every single one is different yet each is its own form of “cute.” I watched her approach my house. Suddenly she stopped before starting up the steps of the front porch.
She turned around with her back facing me and stood there a minute. Then she giggled again as if she’d been talking to someone- but there was nobody behind her that I could see. In one large hop she was facing the house again . I could hear her count as she hopped up the steps, “ 1, 2,….4? No, that’s wrong! “ she said, hopping back down to start over again. “1,2, 5,..4…? That’s not it!” She hopped back down to the ground again and started back up, “2 …-“ As she paused on the second step I decided to help her out or she’d be hopping up and down all day. I opened the door and said, “Three!” At first she was startled and then she started giggling. And giggling! When she’d finally stopped laughing I asked if she’d like to come in for some cookies and lemonade. “Lemonade! Yes, I have Lemonade! Just a minute and I’ll go get her” Before I could say anything she was bounding down the steps again. All I could see were the tips of her ears, the soles of her hind feet- and her little cotton tail- It wasn’t long before she returned with Lemonade scuttling as quickly as two awkward feet could go.
Now I understood how Lemonade was a “her.” The bunny had stopped running, but was still giggling as she tried to walk slowly so her little friend Lemonade, a bright, sunny-yellow chick, could keep up with her. When they got to the steps, the bunny picked the little chick up, put her on her shoulders and told her to, “ Hang on tightly!” and, to my relief, she ran up the stairs without pausing to count them.
We had a lovely visit and I learned the bunny’s name is Serafina. She said that when she first saw the little chick she was lying in the middle of the path at the bottom of a long hill. Serafina had thought someone had dropped a lemon there, but as she got closer she realized it wasn’t a lemon at all it was a live, baby chick. The little chick had wandered from it’s nest and was lost. Serafina told her not to worry. She would take care of her until they could find her mother. She decided to name the chick Lemonade and Lemonade seemed quite pleased with her new name. I invited them both to stay in the Bunny Garden as long as they liked. After they’d both had all the cookies and lemonade they could eat and drink I took them out to introduce them to the other critters of The Bunny Garden and The Land of Felt- and I’m happy to introduce them to you too!
I've hand knit Serafina from a heather-brown, soft mohair-blend yarn. If carefully balanced she can stand on her own or she does very well standing with something little propped behind her. (Both her feet and her head are slightly moveable so she is adjustable by slightly moving them to get the correct balance position to enable her to stand.) Measured from the ground to the tips of her ears she stands approximately 13 1/2” tall. I hand knit her outfit; a matching top and pants, from a fuzzy- white acrylic yarn. I crocheted a ruffle around each armhole and hand-embroidered a small bouquet of pink flowers on one side of her top. Her clothes were seamed together around her body and are not removable. Her pants are gathered at the ankles and at the waist with pink satin ribbons. They tie in a large bow in back just above her tail. The ribbons gather the leg openings at the ankles and tie in bows at the side of each ankle.
Serafina has been carefully assembled with repetitive stitches that firmly attach her limbs to her body, while leaving her very limber and cuddly. Her head is purposely attached so that it can wobble from side to side and forward and back. It may seem "loose" but it's intended to be that way. It is attached extremely well and under normal conditions, is there to stay. Her eyes are imported glass beads which I’ve attached with several stitches running through her head as well as stitches that connect one eye to the other. Around each eye I’ve hand embroidered stitches to give them a more realistic look. I’ve also hand embroidered her nose and mouth and “rouged” her cheeks with a bit of blush. She holds her robust bunny shape well with polyfil stuffing.
Serafina’s little friend Lemonade is needle felted by me out of wool. She measures approximately 5" from her beak to her tail and measured from the ground to her highest point, the tip of her tail, she measures about 5" high. She can stand by herself in an “eating” position with her beak touching the ground and her tail in the air. She is also capable of sitting with her feet slightly off the ground. I’ve tied a pink ribbon around her neck to match Serafina’s bows. Lemonade has tiny glass beads for her eyes, like Serafina’s, only much smaller. They have been attached to her face in the same way that Serafina’s are attached. Lemonade follows Serafina everywhere she goes. They’ve become the best of friends.
Because of the nature of their “composition” neither Serafina or Lemonade are intended to be child toys. These dolls are intended to be heirloom collectibles . They make wonderful additions as room decor and children will enjoy looking at them and even creating their own stories about them. *Because mohair can be a choking hazard and because they have glass-bead eyes, the dolls should be placed on a shelf or somewhere out of a child’s reach. If necessary to wash her, Serafina, in her clothes may be gently hand washed in a mild soap like Woolite, then laid flat to air dry, though it’s best not to wash her if possible.
Lemonade, like all needle felteds does best when looked at and not touched. If her wool sometimes looks “flyaway” then a gentle pat in the direction the wool lies will restore her to “like-new” condition. For gifting, Serafina and Lemonade make a special, one of a kind, keepsake pair which, with gentle care, can be enjoyed for many years to come!
~*~Serafina and Lemonade; created with love~ Guaranteed 100% to love you back!~*~